Indian students held up placards during a demonstration against the ban on the Jallikattu bull taming ritual, and calling for a ban on animal rights orgnisation PETA, Marina Beach, Chennai, Jan. 18 2017.
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Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

A section of India's animal cruelty law prohibits bulls from being used as "performing animals."

Animal-rights activists say the sport is cruel because the animals can get hurt. Fans of the sport have asked courts to allow Jallikattu to take place, saying it holds cultural significance.

A bull charged through a crowd of Indian participants and bystanders during Jallikattu, an annual bull fighting ritual, on the outskirts of Madurai, Jan. 15, 2017.
Photo:
Arun Sankar/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

On Monday police in Chennai tried to evict protesters from the Marina Beach area, where thousands have gathered over the past week. Protesters threw stones and set fire to vehicles as police tried to drag them away.